The Official Publication of the University of the Philippines Mindanao August 2024 Issue
A Call for Arms
The Case for Student Participation in UP Mindanao
The University of the Philippines’ 116-year long history is built from the ground up by the blood and sweat of the people’s struggle and the student movement. However, the current state of the national university faces the threats of neoliberal policies that do not cater to the needs of its people. While these threats demand resistance, the dwindling of the students’ participation across the university indicates the need for a broader struggle.
In the aftermath of the last student council elections in UP Mindanao (UPMin), positions in the University Student Council were barely filled with two of only four councilor-candidates losing to abstention votes. This leaves the council incapable of maximizing their capabilities in forwarding campaigns.
Fortified student representation is rooted from the active participation of the student body in lobbying the calls and the people’s campaigns and struggles that are carried by the student movement.
Election statistics for #Piniliay2024 reflected a total turnout of 62.55%, which is relatively high for UPMin, however it is important to note that the polls were done completely online and were extended over three days. And even beyond those numbers, campus organizations report that there is an evident decrease in active student participation in campus activities, may it be in events or in protest actions.
For one, the stringent demand for output-based education created well-oiled machines out of the nation’s scholars. The pressure of compliance to academic standards leaves the essential part of being an Iskolar ng Bayan— being one with the people’s struggle —hanging by a thread.
In the survey conducted by the publication prior to the elections, the students expressed that the council lacks follow-up on the concerns and grievances that the students forward— only receiving substantial
feedback when the administration responds. This manifests an observed disconnect between the council and the students.
Beyond these concerns, the lack of participation of the council officials themselves also resulted in the lack of student participation and the students’ general desire to engage with the members of the council.
The council as the university’s primary community organizer shall recognize the need for effective consolidation of its constituents. With this, the more students that the council can arouse, organize, and mobilize, then there will be more students that will see the need to participate in university activities. Even more, the students can see the need for genuine student representation in the university through the student council.
However, it shall also be understood that this dynamic goes both ways. Fortified student representation is rooted from the active participation of the student body in lobbying the calls and the people’s campaigns and struggles that are carried by the student movement. With the selection of UPMin’s next chancellor around the corner, the students shall then unify its campaigns now more than ever.
The students are the lifeblood of the council. With pressing issues that directly affect the basic sectors, the youth and the students shall be at the forefront of our mass campaigns. Thus, the students, albeit not being members of the student council, shall signify its role in taking part in these campaigns in order to fuel the student movement’s purpose of being one with the masses.
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Dwindling in student participation in Campus Politics
Chairperson
Romen Wabina
Vice Chairperson Councilors College Reps
Prince ArellanoHarvey
Chairperson
Frederick Omalza
Vice Chairperson Councilors College Reps
Keith Moreno
Chairperson
Malaya Lapiña
Vice Chairperson Councilors College Reps
Bruce Gamad
Chairperson
Andryc Carbonilla
Vice Chairperson Councilors College Reps
Nathalia Alawan
LEGEND
Chairperson
Fauzhea Guiani
Vice Chairperson Councilors College Reps
Star Dimalanta
2023-2024**
Chairperson
Ken Melegrito
Vice Chairperson Councilors College Reps
Cobbie Canda
Chairperson
Heroine Fernandez
Vice Chairperson Councilors College Reps
Sob Suico
AU RESIGNED
PULOS ABSTAIN
INDEPENDENT VACANT
*Holdover term due to COVID
**Conducted Special Elections
editorial board
UPMin Student Council elections see low participation, raises concerns about student representation
LINDSAY BIYO
The University of the Philippines-Mindanao (UPMin) recently concluded its student council elections for the academic year 2024-2025. While Heroine Fernandez and Jan Isobel Suico were elected Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the University Student Council (USC), a significant drop in candidate participation raises concerns about student representation in the university.
This election witnessed a significant decrease in aspiring student leaders, resulting in 11 unfilled positions. These include six USC councilor spots and college representatives from all colleges. Local college student councils also faced similar issues, with vacancies ranging from one in the College of Science and Mathematics Student Council (CSMSC) to four in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Student Council (CHSSSC) and a concerning six in the School of Management Student Council (SOMSC).
Adding to the concerns, voter turnout dipped to 62.55% this year, falling short of the previous year’s 65.53% participation rate. This trend of low participation mirrors situations in other UP constituent units, with UP Manila extending its candidacy filing period due to a lack of applicants. Potential reasons include students prioritizing academics or disillusionment with the process.
However, a recent HIMATI assessment suggests a deeper issue: communication between councils and students. This aligns with incoming CSMSC Secretary Angelica Claire Florida’s call for a better information dissemination system, as she stated: “Firstly, is the proper system of disseminating info in CSM Student Body because it is evident right now na the students participation is weak sa CSM dahil mahirap ang schedule namin. I want to amplify the need for student participation.”
The unfilled seats pose a challenge. Incoming USC ViceChairperson Suico acknowledges the difficulty, stating, “First, hindi
naman ma-dedeny na mas mahirap at mas mabagal ang pag-execute ng council tasks kapag kulang-kulang ang umuupo sa council. Mas mahirap ang pag-gaod ng mga campaigns and pag-carry out ng mga events dahil kulang sa manpower.” However, Suico remains hopeful, believing they can function with support from local student councils.
Heroine Fernandez, the incoming USC Chairperson, sees the vacancies as a symptom of a larger issue – a lack of student representation and participation, potentially rooted in the current education system. Fernandez states, “The problem with the unfilled seats in the council is a mere manifestation of the lack of student representation and participation, rooted in the recurring neoliberal and output-based education that we have. With this, students are often stuck learning in the four-cornered classroom.”
Both Fernandez and Suico acknowledge the importance of filling the vacancies. Special elections are planned, and outreach efforts are underway to emphasize the importance of representation, especially during the crucial search for the next chancellor.
Student councils serve as a platform for students to voice their opinions and concerns. Active engagement with students is necessary for USC and other local councils to foster stronger connections and a deeper understanding of the diverse needs of the student body, ensuring effective representation
Editor-in-Chief JAY LOZANO | Associate Editor DARLYN RIOS | Managing Editor GEORGE BAYBAY | Circulations Officer JESSIE DE RAMOS Finance Officer MARKO TOLEDO | Newsroom Manager RED MASACUPAN | News Editor KRIZSHA MATEO | Opinions Editor VHEA GOSO
Features Editor HENRI BELIMAC | Cultures Editor CATH DISCORSON | Multimedia Directors JAMES PUNSALAN, SAMUEL SALCEDO
Correspondents IAN ZERRUDO, ELMER MUPAS, ERVINCE APATAN, CINE MALANOS, LINDSAY BIYO, NHEZIEL HAJI, MIKA PIAMONTE, CEDRIC SIOSANA, YZE CASPE, RAE OCSIO, LORA ACERO, AYAN BAUTISTA, ONNIE ISRAEL, JILL ABIAN, CZAR YAMAS, ANGELICA PERALTA, BEA RAMIREZ, TRISHA ESPADERO, JANAH GOZON, JONALYN SARIAN, ANGELO PACHECO III
Address HIMATI HOUSE, STUDENT CENTER LANE, UP MINDANAO | email himati.upmin@up.edu.ph
Membership College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), UP Systemwide Alliance of Student Publications and Writers’ Organizations (UP Solidaridad)
ART BY ANGELICA PERALTA
ESPASYO MUNA
UP banners “Road to 5K” expansion plan in Mindanao; UPMin students sustain clamor for more acad spaces
AJ LOZANO
Aiming to grant more students access to UP-quality education in Mindanao, the University of the Philippines System seeks to expand UP Mindanao (UPMin) to a population of 5,000 students by 2029 in a flagship program dubbed as the “Road to 5K” (R2-5K).
In a press conference held at UPMin, UP President Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez presented the expansion plan to members of the media where the plan of adding new degree programs in the constituent unit was highlighted as the major steps for the university’s expansion.
ACCESS FOR MINDANAO
“In response to the growing local demand for skilled human resources and to help address the urgent social and developmental concerns here in Mindanao,” was the reason Jimenez highlighted for the initiative of expansion in the island group.
Among the set of expansions laid out for the succeeding years until 2029 is the introduction of the Doctor of Medicine (MD) program, with an emphasis on providing more doctors in regions around Mindanao.
Additionally, the introduction of new programs including BS Civil Engineering, AA Entrepreneurship, MS Quantitative Methods & Modelling, and MS Biology are set for the following academic years to kickstart the R2-5K.
“Our dream is that UP Mindanao becomes a full comprehensive university. I want to stress that UP is
campus
going towards Mindanao,” Jimenez said, expressing his desire to establish UP’s identity as a public service university.
CALL FOR STUDENT SPACES
In spite of these plans for expansion in UPMin, students in the university instead call for sufficient academic spaces within the campus.
The most prominent among the students’ struggle for student spaces is the decade-long dormancy of the School of Management’s (SOM) building renovation. Currently, students from SOM are forced to share one classroom and the Lorenzo Hall, which is also used for university activities. Classes are also reported to be conducted in the SOM dean’s office due to this problem.
“To address these issues, I believe it is imperative to build and establish student spaces with much consistency along with our plan of improving student population. It does not make sense to justify requesting a higher budget after all if we let our students suffer first the repercussions of such insufficiencies of such,” SOMSC Vice Chairperson Jake Acebo expressed.
Our dream is that UP Mindanao becomes a full comprehensive university. I want to stress that UP is going towards Mindanao.
ATTY. ANGELO A. JIMENEZ UP PRESIDENT
scan qr to watch
To know more about the specifics of the UP STRAT PLAN 2023-2029, scan the QR code to watch the video.
UP Salida spearheads showcase of Mindanawon Student Films
KRIZSHA MATEO
To spotlight the ever-growing cultures and talents of Mindanao in film, UP Salida convened Salidafeset 2024, in May of this year.
The filmfest had two categories; Kasalida, showcasing films made by UP Mindanao students, and Kamindanawan which films from different corners of Mindanao, took
the challenge of being the medium for the talents in cinema and film of Mindanawon students.
“We wanted to fight off the portrayal of Mindanawons, we wanted
to show what Mindanawons are capable of in the field of cinema and film, and we wanted to showcase that through alternative cinema, which is student filmmaking,” Silvestre Noval III,
Amplifying the struggle of the students despite the “promising” R2-5K, the UP Mindanao University Student Council sustained their clamor for more academic and democratic student spaces for UPMin’s constituents.
“Ang kailangan gawin ng UP system ay tuonan muna ng pansin at ayusin ang mga sistema at basic student services sa loob ng unibersidad upang masigurado na walang estudyanteng mapag iiwanan,” USC Chairperson Cobbie Canda asserted.
The UPMin All Student Councils Assembly collectively asserted that while the R2-5K is a promising plan for UPMin, it is important that the student body should demand the UP System administration to heed the calls of its students and prioritize the needs of their constituents above all.
CHSSSC to push for student-athletecentered “visibility initiatives” amid lack of DHK reps
MIKA PIAMONTE
In hopes to address the lack of student representation from the Department of Human Kinetics (DHK) the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Student Council (CHSSSC) aims to promote student-centered activities that specifically benefit student-athletes on campus. This initiative focuses on improving spaces, transportation, and dormitory accommodations.
CJ Resullar, Associate in Arts in Sports Studies Representative, emphasized that the university inadequately supports studentathletes’ needs, including the inadequate allocation of learning spaces. Resullar further stated that the university should not overlook their appeals, considering their contributions to the university’s reputation during competitions and tournaments.
Considering the shortage of council representatives from DHK, it falls upon the CHSSSC to develop initiatives centered around studentathletes. Althea Degracia, Chairperson of CHSSSC, acknowledged the visibility issues of students from the department on campus, noting deficiencies in dormitories, student spaces, and transportation.
“In my capacity as the incoming chairperson of CHSS, here are
the plans that I am determined to pursue together with the members of the council: (1) a consultation concerning fair dorm prioritization for student-athletes, (2) demand for additional “UP Ikot” jeepneys to cater to students who attend classes in the sports complex, and (3) convene meetings with the college dean in matters on student-athlete concerns,” stated Degracia on the plans CHSSSC has set to address grievances of student-athlete scholars.
Degracia further highlighted the importance of holding consultations and meetings in redressing complaints including supporting the collective clamor, to address the issue of lacking representatives in the student council, regular meetings will now include the bloc leaders for direct communication.
UPMin MFVT aims for inter-collegiate wins
ONNIE ISRAEL
The UP Mindanao Men’s Football Varsity Team (UPMin MFVT) secured first place in three different 2024 tournaments, namely; Kagitingan Cup, Blue Bird Cup, and UP Mindanao FC Cup.
Riding the momentum, team coach Janver Clyde Magaway and the team aims to address flaws including the number of players that are willing to play for the team and the chemistry of players.
“Long term is to be able to develop a team capable of competing and winning inter-collegiate tournaments.” Coach Magaway stated.
UP Salida’s president, and Salidafest 2024 project head highlighted. He emphasized that Salidafest ‘24 was crafted not only to showcase the rising talents of Mindanao in film, but also to highlight that the island should not be boxed in the stereotypes in film and cinema.
Noval acknowledged that UP Salida being a recognized member of the Film Development Council of the Philippines - Academic Film Society has opened doors for the organization, such as, having the short films be accessed
online via JuanFlix, furthering the recognition of the Mindanawan talents in film and cinema.
Noval further noted that Salidafest was a collective success, “The Salidafest was successful because of two things, first is the Executive Community of UP Salida, I had the perfect people to work with to create the project… Second, the participants have shown their passion for filmmaking, not only were they eager, but they were deserving of being recognized.”
PHOTOS BY BEA RAMIREZ
“... ang mahuman lang unta silag skwela.”
Shela Mande—a 59-year-old Matigsalog woman, mother, and community volunteer—envisions a future where her children can achieve their dreams without the barriers she faced. A future where her children can easily attain their rights; with healthcare and education no longer distant dreams but accessible realities. Although the right of indigenous peoples is enshrined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution on Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA), education still seemed far-fetched for some IP communities. Among these communities, minority and indigenous children are still deprived of access to quality education that is relevant and responsive to their specific context and needs.
With this recurring issue, Shela tirelessly emphasizes her dream of attaining education for both her children and her community—a dream fueled by the desire to live a better life. Contrary to popular opinions and dominant narratives then, IP communities are not ‘resistant’ to change. Rather, they seek and welcome meaningful progress that respects their cultural heritage and addresses their unique challenges. After all, culture is not meant to be “preserved” in a static state. It flows, evolves, and ultimately looks towards a brighter, more inclusive future where the promise of education and human rights allows traditions not only to survive, but to thrive.
“Having the choice… is such an empowering freedom for us to have.”
Meluzvia Marie Amora, an instructor at the University of the Philippines Mindanao, a daughter, and a woman, foresees a near-ideal future for women through continuous improvements. She envisions a future where women are empowered by having the liberty and choice to play major roles in society without diminishing their roles in marriage and family nor devaluing their womanhood. This repression against women stems from semi-feudal patriarchal views in society. It undermines the freedom of choice of women, leaving them to conform to societal expectations to feel safe and respected.
The issue at hand leads to Miss Amora extending her vision to a society where women could go about their lives without fear of violence. Drawing inspiration from her own mother’s strength, she also dreams of a future free of any stigma for single parents. With Miss Amora’s visions, it can be recognized that achieving perfection for the future of women is a journey. It was never meant to be a destination but instead a continual flow of collaborative efforts, education, adaptation, and improvement for women’s rights, for equality.
“... inclusivity.”
For Salvador Jr., a Person with Disability (PWD), he envisions a future where inclusivity is a lived reality. In the Philippines, PWDs face significant challenges in employment, education, healthcare, transportation, and housing due to systemic barriers and discrimination. Despite legal protections like the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, weak enforcement leads to social exclusion and stigma.
WHAT FUTURE DO YOU HOPE
Limited access to accessible public transportation, inadequate healthcare facilities, and a lack of inclusive educational opportunities further hinder their quality of life.
As a father, he wishes for the disappearance of job market discrimination, equal pay, and benefits to support his family. “An ideal society is a society where PWDs like me can have access to essential services such as medication, transportation, and hospitalization, allowing them to lead lives that they dream of,” he ends. This future, built on empathy and understanding, is not a utopia but a world where disability isn’t a barrier, but a stepping stone to a more inclusive, vibrant society where everyone is valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential.
“...hindi ko na kailangan matakot at magpanggap kina mama at papa.”
To be a part of the LGBTQIA+ community in the Philippines means to embrace and compose yourself to an uncongenial and grating reality where people would mock, discriminate, and worst of all, would even hurt you, just for being and expressing your true and authentic self and for not submitting to the heteronormative standards that the majority of the people of this country are used to. “In a country with a heteronormative society, not everyone could relish and experience equal basic human rights; so a perfect future for me is a future, where my people and community, could be just freely ourselves and
The future is the only perfectly one’s life. As we live different realities, most especially depending on where geographically but most
In the Philippines, our status quo is composed the foundation of our country. If not for these is bound to happen. To ensure the nation’s common sense that we must take care of the
In the inevitable future, there is sadly there lies hope. There lies hope for their identity and whatever hope they wish for. And to sectors: What future
could freely love anyone without the fear of being discriminated or beaten; a future where SOGIE (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression) Equality Bill exists in the Philippines that would protect my community, and even the cisgender heterosexual people, a bill that promotes a culture of inclusivity and create spaces where individuals with diverse SOGIESC are safe and free to express themselves,” this is the response of “Frankie”, a nineteen year old closeted gay from his family, when asked what does the perfect future look like for him and his community.
Twenty-four years have passed since the SOGIE Equality Bill was first introduced and filed in the Philippine House of Representatives, yet it still remains one of the longest-running bills that is still being deliberated in the country. Twenty-four years yet still being scrutinized when it just seeks to recognize the fundamental human rights of every individual regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, aiming to provide equal access for everyone in accessing basic social, healthcare, protection, and justice services while also giving fair opportunities, especially in the labor field, for everyone. Although it has been recently passed through the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality in 2022, the fight for a “perfect” future is still long for Frankie and his community.
BELIMAC, GOZON, SARIAN,
FUTURE HOPE FOR ?
OCSIO, PACHECO, ACERO
inevitable instance that happens in realities, we also welcome varied futures, where we reside in the world not only most especially in society.
composed of various sectors that serve as these sectors, then an impending imbalance safety from facing that imbalance, is it not of these sectors? Unfortunately, that is not cas sadly uncertainty. But amidst that uncertainty, identity to remain as the future moves on, find that out, we asked each of the said future do you hope for?
“...dili na kinahanglan mogawas pa para mag-abroad.”
Honey Pal, an 18-year-old who paused from pursuing higher education right after graduating SHS in 2023 to work, shared her ideal tomorrow for the labor sector in her rural municipality in the province of Surigao del Norte. The issues in the labor system are chronic in rural areas. With its deafening silence from the media, it speaks loud enough that it has never been addressed yet. The fact that the P320.00 bare minimum daily wage (in Caraga) is insufficient in feeding a family of six three times a day is indeed a hard pill to swallow. This is why a concerning number of Filipinos work overseas.
At her age, the dream of pursuing college still flickers but in the meantime, she desires for a community with stability and security. She looks forward to living in a society where companies and business owners engage and contribute to its local community, as well as support its socioeconomic development. It is dreamy as it is, but she believes that is possible if the government and labor organizations commit to addressing the issues of unemployment and underemployment, then collaborate to achieve a fair, inclusive, and prosperous labor community that we could only dream of today.
“... makauwi sa pamilya na komportable ang buhay.”
For a former public hospital nurse at General Santos City turned Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) not only as a nurse in America but anything that would help her family financially, Rowena made the future her motivation, and that future revolved about wanting to go home to her family and living comfortably amidst the struggles within the Philippine economy.
Despite the shortage of nurses in the country, Filipino nurses still continue to serve abroad given the stark difference in healthcare work pay. Such problems continue to worsen as the government and private sectors have shown no interest in remedying the given wages, which applies not only to those in healthcare but in every sector within the Philippine workforce. As an OFW, Rowena shares that the distance with her family will always hurt, but she would rather face the pain while earning more than she would at home especially if it meant if her family got to live a better life. If given the chance, however, if her family only resided where healthcare and the working sectors are truly appreciated, then she would stay and work near home in a heartbeat.
“...hatagan sab unta kami sa gobyerno nan bisan gamay ra gud lamang na panginabuhian na amo majaganan sa panahon na kuyangon kami sa amo pag-drayb.”
Kuya “Dodong”, a 48 year-old tricycle driver, father, and family provider looks forward to a future where the government prioritizes providing alternative livelihood
opportunities for drivers whose incomes are unstable and just enough to meet their daily basic needs. Nothing is ever truer than how kuya Dodong describes his everyday life on the road: breathing the “alisngaw” of the earth when it rains after a baking weather that sometimes result to hilanat and body numbness, dealing with commuters who do not follow the imposed fare matrix, and competing with other drivers who, like him, are also striving to provide the needs of their families.
There is only one thing that taunts Kuya Dodong and most of PUV drivers—when he does not feel well and could not drive for a day, “Hain man kami muhanap nan pangtambay kung ang amo kita igo ra?” He envisions a community where drivers could cling into an alternative livelihood program when they are in the most reasonable situations—like being sick. Whatever program the government could provide, even if it is not as adequate as health insurance of private companies and government employees, he longs for a future society where there is an assurance that they could still cover their daily needs at times of crucial instability.
“...resilient from adverse effects of climate change…[and] to utilize technology in a manner that will not threaten the resources but produce more instead.”
Christal Sebial, a 20-year-old agriculture student and a daughter of a farmer, anticipates a society whose budget and technology prioritize the sector of agriculture and aquaculture to withstand the adverse effects of climate change, thus, be able to produce quality and safe food for the people.
Local farmers like Christal’s father feared two things in his basakan: the pest attacks and a strong bagyo which would turn their expenses and labor into casualties. Adding up how they suffered when their tilapia seedlings died after being transferred to a new pond due to inadequate knowledge of the said matter. With these challenges, Christal desires to live in a community that focuses mainly on providing the needs of the sectors that bring foods on the table like agriculture and aquaculture—allocating the rightful budget for technologies and organizing timely seminars and training for farmers and fishermen, for example. For as long as we utilize the advancements to multiply the stocks and not threaten the resources, she believes that it will increase food sustainability enough to combat a nationwide food scarcity.
It is undeniable from the hearts of each of the answers that the future is as connected as it is inevitable. Truly, the future that each sector has can only be achieved once an indispensable collective effort is attained, moving all directions that goes with time come together to a singular point that leads to a unified movement that hopes not only a perfect future for each, but a future that gives everyone the liberty and opportunity to relish in their dreamed tomorrow. Like how society and the nation is built by the said sectors, it is only right and just that the future be catered to them—to the masses—because a country that neglects its people neglects itself, and a future without change is a future that is damned.
Food brings us together, but it’s the conversations with students and friends that truly nourish our spirits. accommodations with a strong sense of community, they have been refurbished and modernized, attracting a more affluent segment of the student population. The improvements in living conditions are undeniable, yet the sense of camaraderie that flourished in the old, less polished dormitories has diminished. The new dorms are more comfortable, but they lack the character and communal spirit that defined student life in the past.
One lunch at Ate Ling’s, the ultimate hangout for every isko and iska, the aroma of sizzling dishes and the hum of lively chatter filled the air. The warmth of the eatery’s bamboo ‘payag’ structure, with its rustic charm and friendly staff, made it feel like a second home. As I savored my meal, I found myself engrossed in conversations with upperclassmen who had graduated ten years ago. Their stories of university life, brimming with nostalgia and wisdom, transported me back to their days on campus, making the meal not just delicious but also deeply enriching. Interestingly, they shared fond memories of their time at the university, reminiscing about how much things had changed. “Lami man diay ang balolong ‘no pero wala ko kabalo ana. Wala pa man gud na sa una,” one said, marveling at the new dishes that had appeared since their graduation. Another chimed in, “Pero nindot sab to atoa sauna kay mag-amotan pa para makakaon og grouted pork sa Jaokiks,” recalling how they would pool their money to afford a special treat. They also noted how different the area used to be: “Dili pajud
the campus community. This shift in the population is influencing academic discourse and social dynamics, resulting in a more inclusive and well-rounded educational experience. However, there are difficulties with this transition.
One of the most striking changes I’ve noticed is the cultural homogenization of shared student spaces, a phenomenon that has sparked both nostalgia and controversy among us students and alumni. Grouted Pork, a beloved dish known for its rich and savory flavors, was once everyone’s favorite in UP Mindanao. This humble food brought people together to share stories and unwind. The place where it was originally served still exists, but it has undergone a significant makeover. The cozy, unpretentious eatery has transformed into a more modern establishment, catering to a different clientele. While the upgrade has improved the facilities and menu, new students are not as familiar with it anymore, and some of the original patrons miss its simplicity and affordability.
Similarly, Abortion Road, a notorious path known for its rough terrain and the occasional daring escapade, has been paved and landscaped, transforming it into a safe, well-lit walkway. This development has undoubtedly enhanced campus safety and accessibility, but it also symbolizes the erasure of a piece of student lore that generations of UPMin students held dear. The road’s gritty character was a rite of passage, a shared experience that bonded us across different batches.
Going further, the dorms around Basak, too, have not been immune to change. Once a collection of modest
“Ha? Dili ko katuo na naa nay curfew inyong dorm diraa sa baba. Sauna diraa gyud gina-held ang parties kada biyernes sa gabii. Dili pa man strikto sa una. Lingaw gyud kaayo.”, one alumni said.
Despite these changes, our campus life is still rich with shared experiences. We now enjoy Balolong bread, fried chicken places, beef pares stalls, and even iced coffee spots, which have become staples in our daily routines. These new food spots have added variety to our dining options and have become new venues for us to gather and bond.
Beyond the campus, Mintal, Davao City, where UPMin is located, has undergone massive changes in terms of development. The rise of malls, fast food chains, and new infrastructures has transformed our surroundings. These developments have made our lives more convenient, providing us with more choices and better facilities. However, they also signal a shift away from the quieter, more provincial atmosphere that once characterized Mintal.
These changes raise important questions about the evolution of university life at UPMin. Has it improved
IAN ZERRUDO
with these developments, or has something valuable been lost in the process? For many of us, the answer is
despite modernization.
Being a student at UP Mindanao is an experience set against a backdrop
MGA BASONG PINAGSALUHAN
ANG KALAYAAN SA LIKOD NG ISANG SABLAY
ISANG BUKAS NA LIHAM MULA SA ISANG ISKOLAR NG BAYAN
GRAPHICS BY NHEZIEL HAJI & AYAN BAUTISTA
Pastor Quiboloy dodges arrest,
remains at large as the community calls for justice
ONNIE ISRAEL
Pastor Apollo Quibloy was nowhere to be found as police forces tried to serve his arrest warrant in violation of the Republic Act (R.A.) 7610 and other charges in four Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) properties simultaneously, on June 10, 2024, in Davao City.
Tension rose between supporters of the televangelist and the Philippine National Police (PNP) as the religious sect claimed the latter were heavily “armed”, and “attacked” their compounds in Davao City.
In light of these events, Former President Rodrigo Duterte, Administrator of Properties for KOJC, heavily criticized the government’s action and described the operation as an “overkill”, claiming that “excessive force” was employed to enter and search the properties of the sect.
“I strongly condemn the use of excessive and unnecessary force in serving the warrant of arrest for Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy… by police officers who are not even from Davao City,” Duterte expressed.
Apollo Quiboloy’s elusiveness towards arrest sparked the community’s ire as his whereabouts remain unknown.
Allyssa Ancheta, Gabriela Youth UP Mindanao Chairperson, forwarded her dismay regarding the selective justice which protects Quiboloy from arrest.
“Isa sa mga implikasyon sa pag ikyas ni Quiboloy sa pag-atubang sa iyang mga kaso ug ang mismong pag-aresto sa iyaha
before Davao prosecutors.
Senator Risa Hontiveros filed proposed Senate Resolution 884, which seeks to investigate the cases against KOJC.
US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Quiboloy over alleged serious human rights abuse.
Quiboloy skips the Senate hearing of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality prompting the senate to release an arrest order against Quiboloy for “unduly refusing to appear, despite due notices”. Quiboloy said he was willing to cooperate provided that the United States would not interfere in his legal battle in the Philippines.
KOJC administrators were arrested by the FBI and charged with human and labor trafficking by a California federal grand jury.
CONQUERING THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
They say home is where the heart is, but no concrete jungle is ever home to indigenous people. The displacement of natives from their ancestral domains has been in direct congruence with development. The rapid modernization of ancestral lands remains a reason that land grabbers and environmental plunderers use in justification of their actions. As they would define it:
de·vel·op·ment (noun): the process of displacing tribes for modernization projects and over-exploitation of natural resources for urbanization.
The previous two decades have proven that in the Philippines, no form of indigenous rights legislation has ever stopped large corporations from invading ancestral lands for economic gain.
In the early 2010s, the native Agtas of Dimasalansan, Isabela were affected by road development projects which gained hasty approval for funding from the Development Bank of the Philippines and a similarly acquired environmental compliance certificate from the DENR. In 2019, more than 500 families from the Aeta tribe in Capas were forced to leave their ancestral domain for modernization projects and the transfer of non-native citizens from congested cities. Common among these two? The lack of actual scrutiny of
these questionable projects led to the forced eviction of native dwellers from their homelands.
All in the name of power Rampant environmental plunders and unwarranted conflicts such as this have led to the displacement of nearly 7000 people in Mindanao based on DSWD data. The sustained loss of forest cover and buffer zones in the Bangsamoro Region has led to constant flooding. Social disputes acted on by the state against private groups also displaced more in areas such as Maguindanao, Marawi, and Sulu from 2017 until recently in 2023.
There is great irony in all of this, encapsulated by the statue monument found at the center of Sandawa crossing, at the heart of Davao City. Three statues, each a native dawning their traditional wear, traversing the concrete streets and
high rises of a city that is not theirs to call home. A symbolic joke of a monument that the Dutertes would deem in commemoration of unity among different tribes in Davao, but in reality, is a statement of all of their crimes against indigenous people who have been victims of displacement and death within their fascist rule.
A heart will always call for its true home, like a kid finding their way back where they came from. However, homes lost to cruel plunder are only met with retribution against development, against modernization, and against the entitled elites. There is heart in the struggle that defends ancestral lands, and there is merit in defending those who fight in this struggle.
HUMANS, BEARS, AND CROCODILES
Instincts are inherited, not learned. For a while, I had a hard time understanding this.
Instincts are inherited, not learned. For a while, I had a hard time understanding this.
Growing up, I had feared dogs, sounds—even those sticky, icky monsters underneath my bed. I would curl in my bed when dogs howl in the night, perhaps in the sight of strangers passing by, and tuck my long limbs under my blankets in hopes that I don’t find myself within the acidic stomach of a monster when I wake up.
I’m not much better with handling these fears even as a grown up.
We, as a species, have evolved holding the mechanism of intuition close to heart. As preys for the longest time, we have inherited the intuition that aposematism is key to survival.
Aposematic signals are visual indications of harm where the brighter an organism is, the more deadly it usually is.
Souchet, a French herpetologist, states that humans have become sensitive to aposematic signals throughout time. Clearly, such is the case as children would classify wildlife like snakes and frogs with striking
colors as scary and fear-inducing.
Guns, as monochromatic as they come, would not be classified as scary. Guns were developed as a tool to keep one safe. As such, a typical monochromatic gun would stay a tool until there is corruption nursing its trigger.
Marx states that, when left unorganized post-emancipation, the oppressed become the oppressors of the ones he once called his comrades. The social web, much like its food counterpart, shows us that prey turns into the apex predator as soon as its tool of protection becomes a weapon of mass destruction.
We don’t instinctively fear guns; we fear the man holding its cold muzzle against our temples.
Instincts are inherited, not learned. It took me the longest time to understand that staying in a room with wild life would be better than a man clad in blue.
Wild life will harm you if you’re hostile towards them. Carry a cheap board with genuine calls in it, best hope that you don’t become the
Homes lost to cruel plunder are only met with retribution against development, against modernization, and against the entitled elites.
latter’s target for profiling the next day.
Bato Dela Rosa asks, “Bakit [negatibo] na ang pag-iisip ng mga tao sa gobyerno ngayon?”
It is not by instinct that there is distrust in a system that favors the rich. Instead, the youth of today have cultivated behavior similar to human nature, to survive.
No one survives in a society that punishes the masses for wanting better living conditions, free education, affordable health care, and all rights stated in the Constitution. No one survives in a society where the rich get richer and the poor become poorer, no thanks to these animals in seats of power.
Instincts are inherited, not learned. Crocodiles are not aposematic. It’s a different story when they start to walk on two legs, armed with a gun.
Warm is the barrel of a corrupted gun, warmer is the blood spilled on the ground.
Instincts are inherited, not learned. Crocodiles are not aposematic. It’s a different story when they start to walk on two legs, armed with a gun.
RED MASACUPAN
MARKO TOLEDO
Paano magagawang kumontra-agos ng bangka
Sa militanteng pakikibaka para sa pambansang soberanya magiging tunay na malaya ang mga Pilipino. Subalit, sa halos isang siglo ng kalayaan ng ating bansa, ang Pilipinas sa ngayon ay hindi hamak na may mas mahigpit na busal kaysa noon.
Kamakailan ay umiinit ang tensyon sa pagitan, ng dalawang nag-uumpugang bansa na ang United States’ (U.S.) at ang China. Habang mas pinapalakas ng US ang kanilang mga base militar sa lupa ng Pilipinas, ito namang si China ang lubos na pinipilit ang kanilang pagmamay-ari kuno sa mga karagatan ng ating bansa. Higit sa lahat, ito ay nakakaalarma dahil gipit naman sa pagitan ng mga pambubusasbos, panggigipit, at panghihimasok ng mga imperyalistang bansang ito ang Pilipinas.
Sa lumalalang banta sa ating pambansang soberanya, huwad sa danas ng iba’t-ibang sektor ng lipunan ang manipestasyon ng imperyalismo sa ating bansa.
Kilala ang Pilipinas bilang bansang sagana sa aquatic resources, subalit hindi rin maitatanggi ang hirap na danas ng mga mangingisda sa pangingimkim ng China ng ating karagatan sa WPS. Nitong ika-17 ng Hunyo lamang, isang resupply mission ang ginambala ng Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) kung saan naputulan ng daliri ang isang sundalong Pinoy. May iilang kaso na ring natala ng pambobomba ng tubig ng CCG sa mga Filipino fishing vessels at maliliit na mangingisda sa WPS na nangingisda umano sa katubigan ng China.
Ang mga kilos ng China sa WPS ay labag ayon sa United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea at sa 2016 Arbitral Ruling. Ang kanilang pagsasawalang-bahala sa mga patakarang ito ay pagsasawalang-bahala rin sa pambansang soberanya ng Pilipinas at banta rin sa karapatang pantao ng mga mangingisdang tanging kabuhayan ang pamamalakaya sa WPS.
Sa pagdami ng pwersa ng China sa WPS, kinikilala rin ito ng U.S. bilang banta. Noong 2014, nilagdaan ng Pilipinas at U.S. and Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) na layuning makapagensayo ang mga militar ng parehong bansa. Subalit, kapalit nito ay ang pagpapatayo ng EDCA sites sa bansa na nagsisilbing mga U.S. military bases sa Pilipinas.
Sa isang pahayag na inilabas ng Gabriela Women’s Partylist, kinikilala ng grupo ang pagdami ng militarized prostitution na bahagi umano ng “rest and recreation” ng mga tropang Amerikano sa mga bayang malalapit sa EDCA sites. Ang pagpaparaya sa pamamalagi ng mga pwersang U.S. sa ating bansa ay pagbibigay-daan sa pagdami ng mga kaso ng karahasan sa mga kababaihan at kabataan sa bansa.
Maging sa kalagayan ng edukasyon at ng pagpaparami ng pwersang paggawa ay may iniindang danas ang mga Pilipino nang dahil sa imperyalismo. Sa bunsod ng neoliberalismo sa ating bansa, damay ang edukasyon sa katangian nitong kolonyal, komersyalisado, at represibo. Sa sistemang ito, mas pinapahalagahan ng gobyerno ang kurikulum ng edukasyon na inuuna ang pandayuhang interes at makapag export ng labor force sa ibang bansa. Nakatali ito sa pagkakaroon ng mas mabisang paraan ng paghubog ng cheap at docile na pwersang paggawa na hindi nakatuon sa interes ng ating bansa at mas pinakikinabangan ng mga bansang tulad ng U.S. at China.
Dagdag dito, hindi rin ligtas ang mga pesante at magsasaka, maging ang mga Lumad at Indigenous People (IP) sa hagupit ng U.S. at China. Laganap ang mga kaso ng land grabbing sa mga lupang sakahan at lupang ninuno. Ang nakakadismaya rito ay mas pinapapasok pa ng mga burukrata kapitalista ang mga dayuhang ito nang makapagkimkim ng mga likas na yaman.
Sa sukdulan nito mas lalong maging hayag ang epekto ng imperyalismo sa hanapbuhay, edukasyon, at kaligtasan ng mga Pilipinong matatangay sa daluyong ng imperyalistang U.S. at China.
Sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon sa WPS, binibigyang diin ng Administrasyong Marcos Jr. ang pagtutol sa
panghihimasok ng China. Subalit ay kapalit nito ang pagkakaisa ng Pilipinas sa U.S. na mas pinapaburan ni Marcos. Ngunit, mahalagang punain na habang pangunahing interes ng Pilipinas ang pagtaboy sa mga pwersa ng China sa WPS, hindi rin natin tunay na kakampi ang U.S. sa kampanyang ito dala ng mga patagong intensyon nito sa ating bansa.
Nasa ating magkabigkis na mga kamao ang pagbigo sa mga tambalang U.S.-Marcos at Duterte-China na inuuna ang interes ng sarili kaysa sa interes ng sambayanan. Isabuhay natin ang diwa ng tunay na ‘unity’ na bigong ipakita ng tambalang Marcos-Duterte.
Sa ating pagsampa kontra sa daluyong ng imperyalismong dala ng U.S., China, at ng mga alipores nito, mapapatunayan natin na may makakamit sa kolektibong pagkilos. Katulad ng isang bangka, hindi ito mananatiling nakabalanse sa tubig kung wala ang mga katig nito. Gayundin, hindi rin magagawang maglakbay sa karagatan ng bangka kung wala itong sagwan. Sa ating sabay-sabay na pagpalo ng sagwan, saka natin maipapamalas ang ating nagkakaisang lakas sa pag kontra sa agos ng daluyong na dala ng mga banyaga.
AJ LOZANO